Project Details

Description

Funding from this grant will be used to fulfill Arizonas responsibilities as a member partner state of the national Pathways to Prosperity Network (an initiative of Jobs for the Future and the Harvard Graduate School of Education) including Arizonas membership fee; to support the associated activities involved in advancing the Pathways to Prosperity work in Arizona; and to identify and catalyze action around additional opportunities to build and strengthen pathways in Arizona to better serve students in reaching their educational and career goals.

The Center for the Future of Arizona (CFA) is the host organization for this work with Arizona State University serving as the fiscal agent. In the third year of the grant, CFA will consult with a core leadership team comprised of representatives from the Governors Offices of Education and Workforce, higher education, K-12, the business community and others as needed to advance the scope of work outlined below. CFA will continue to seek and leverage additional funding from the philanthropic community to support the work in future years and will call upon the core leadership group and others for assistance in doing so.

The scope of work described below elaborates on three areas of focus of the initiative:

1) Grant funds will enable Arizona to pay its fee for the third year of a planned three-year commitment as a member of the national Pathways to Prosperity Network Initiative.

2) Grant funds will be used by CFA to support the existing dedicated director for the Arizona Pathways to Prosperity effort. This individual serves as the Arizona liaison to the national Pathways to Prosperity Network team and leads the statewide Pathways to Prosperity work, through convening, outreach, communications, and catalyzing work with other Arizona-based organizations. In partnership with Jobs for the Future (JFF) and others in Arizona, the director will continue implementation efforts to demonstrate in key regional labor markets in Arizona that more young people can complete high school, attain a postsecondary credential with currency in the labor market, get launched on a career and/or pursue further education. CFA is building on the success of this endeavor to expand implementation and replicate the successful model in all regions of the state.

3) CFA will utilize grant funds to continue implementation of a regional model in Phoenix and Tucson to build and scale career pathways. CFA engages sector leaders to apply career pathways that are informed and supported by strong employer engagement. This approach allows for the development of the educational pathways to meet the unique needs of young people, the region, and the sector. It also provides the opportunity to identify, incorporate, and align work already being done in the region. CFA will continue to activate and align regional networks of employers, postsecondary education institutions, K-12 districts/charters, government, and community organizations. Work will be done to expand the network with additional representatives of Arizona business, higher education, K-12, non-profit, philanthropic, policy, and government.

ImpactCFA will use grant funds to work directly with 15+ schools and impact 300+ students in Phoenix and Tucson to demonstrate the success of comprehensive 9-14+ early college career pathways. CFA will work with high school and postsecondary partners to expand the implementation of the career pathways in advanced manufacturing, health/bioscience, energy, and information technologies. This includes career information, exposure, and advisement; foundational career readiness skills; course structure aligned to career pathways; and work-based learning opportunities.

Budget and staffingThe budget provided in this scope of work covers the third year of a three-year commitment to the national JFF initiative and supports CFAs scope of work in advancing an Arizona pathways network. The budget also supports a full time director whose time is allocated 100% to the project.